The Daniel A. Flickinger, Jr. Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park was dedicated in 2017.
Dan Flickinger has always appreciated the solitude nature offered him. As a boy growing up in Fort Wayne, Indiana, he spent hours in the deciduous forests. At the age of 6, he could identify a tree just by its bark.
This love of nature would shape his youth and lead him to create a legacy gift to the Save the Redwoods League.
As a student at Indiana University in the '70s, Dan was eager for adventure. He applied for a summer job at the National Park Service, but with no luck. Then, suddenly, the NPS called. A placement had opened up at Oregon Caves National Monument and Preserve.
Dan’s summer job would send him all over the Pacific Northwest—including trips to the northern California redwood forests. At the end of the summer, he returned to IU to finish his degree, then made his way back to Oregon to take on his first post-graduation job.
In 2011, Dan joined the Redwood Legacy Circle with the idea of naming a redwood grove to honor the Flickinger surname. He selected a grove with plenty of old growth to enjoy. In July 2017, The Daniel A. Flickinger, Jr. Grove in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park was dedicated with a celebration that included Dan, his family, and friends.
Dan created his gift through an irrevocable pledge of $1 million, funded by a life insurance policy. The pledge was also a gift to the Forever Forest Campaign—a perfect way for Legacy donors to participate in this meaningful campaign.
“My gift is to provide funding for future acquisitions [of forest],” says Dan. “The Forever Forest campaign makes complete sense for the future survival of the redwoods.”
To learn how you can create a legacy gift, and how that gift may be counted toward the Forever Forest campaign, contact Deborah White at 415-820-5828 or DWhite@SaveTheRedwoods.org.